chapter - Pearson

ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR IN ACTION
■ QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION
1. Why is a working knowledge of organizational
behavior important to managers? How can such
information increase a manager’s effectiveness?
2. Why is it important to analyze the behavior of
individuals, groups, and the organization as a
whole to understand organizational behavior in
work settings?
3. Recall a manager you have known, and evaluate
how well that person performed the four functions
of management: planning, organizing, leading,
and controlling.
4. Think of a manager you have known or read
about, and describe instances in which that manager
seemed to play some of the 10 managerial
roles identified by Mintzberg.
5. Select a restaurant, supermarket, church, or some
other familiar organization, and think about how
the organization tries to increase efficiency, quality,
innovation, and responsiveness to customers.
6. How can information about organizational behavior
help organizations manage their human
resources to obtain a competitive advantage?
7. What are organizational ethics, and why is ethics
such an important issue facing organizations
today?
8. Why is diversity an important challenge facing
organizations today?
9. What special challenges does managing behavior
on a global scale pose for managers?
10. What new challenges may confront managers in
the future?
■ BUILDING DIAGNOSTIC SKILLS
Behavior in Organizations
Think of an organization—a place of employment, a
club, a sports team, a musical group, an academic society—that
provided you with a significant work experience,
and answer the following questions:
1. What are your attitudes and feelings toward the
organization? Why do you think you have these
attitudes and feelings?
2. Indicate, on a scale of 1 to 10, how hard you
worked for this organization or how intensively
you participated in the organization’s activities.
Explain the reasons for your level of participation.
3. How did the organization communicate its performance
expectations to you, and how did the
organization monitor your performance to evaluate
whether you met those expectations? Did you
receive more rewards when you performed at a
higher level? What happened when your performance
was not as high as it should have been?
4. How concerned was your organization with your
well-being? How was this concern reflected? Do
you think this level of concern was appropriate?
Why or why not?
5. Think of your direct supervisor or leader. How
would you characterize this person’s approach to
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